QSR magazine:
With social media providing operators and employees an easy path to embarrassing a brand, corporate teams need to establish online law.
In the past year, quick serves ranging from McDonald’s to Qdoba Mexican Grill to Wing Zone, as well as smaller chains and independents, have raced to cash in on the marketing benefits of the social-media craze, stepping up activity on networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
But in addition to the virtual presence established by parent companies, aggressive franchisees are taking it upon themselves to create their own pages on Web sites in an attempt to cultivate customer loyalty and promote local offers. Even individual employees have jumped into the fray, often identifying their affiliation to a particular brand on their personal pages.